Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Blackberry Picking

My first Tuesday as a SAHM we went black berry picking. Oh sorry are you confused about my new acronym here on the blog? That is stay at home mom and it is all over the mommy blogs. It is still odd to now be using it to describe myself. And to be using the term "mommy blog".

Anyway that first Tuesday my friend Nadine had Googled "blackberry picking Houston" and found http://www.blackberriesofhouston.com/. Naturally. She called the "blackberry hot line" and spoke to the farmer who told her there were blackberries ready to be picked. She invited us to join her two boys who are basically matched with Zach and James in age. We love these friends. She is a laid back mom like me but more safety conscience, which we all know I need.
So off we headed to Cypress with a first stop at Chick fil a for breakfast. James got ketchup all over his face and shirt. Luckily he was wearing a tank top. Gotta let those skinny arms breathe.

I was packed and ready for the trip. I had a backpack full of snacks and water bottles ready to go. Hats, sunscreen and bug spray - I was on it. I was picturing Froberg Farms strawberry picking we did with Zach which is a huge production. We were there for half the day and then had lunch. That was Nadine and my plan for this day as well.

That picture basically sums up the entire farm. We turned off a farm-to-market road behind a subdivision and pulled into the grass behind the farmer's house. I thought we might have made a wrong turn until the farmer, pictured on the website, moseyed over to welcome us. Affirmative - he moseyed.

Each boy got a plastic bucket to fill up and the boys took off across the field. As they say on the website, the vines are thorn less so even little hands can make quick work of the berries. To pick or stuff in chubby faces.

We made a pretty good haul. For 25 minutes of blackberry picking.

Naturally after all that hard work the boys needed some snacks and a rest in the hammock. See if you can tell which boys are brothers. It will be very, very hard.

The entire trip lasted 45 minutes from parking to pulling out. We had planned to pick blackberries then go to lunch before heading back for nap. However when we got in the car, it was only 10:15 a.m.

Nadine and I were screwed.

We put on a movie and said "shhhhh" encouraged the boys to talk to each other so we could decide what to do and continue cussing about how this was not our plan. We ended up back in their neighborhood playing at a covered park and feeding the turtles then lunching together at their house. The boys thought it was all part of a great master plan.